Strong PRESS: why does a child need it?

Exercises for children

Strong, sculpted abs, or at least a toned stomach, is the dream of most modern men and women, regardless of age. What prevents the achievement of this good goal, as a rule, is the eternal enemy of a healthy lifestyle - laziness. It’s even worse if laziness prevents not only adults, but also their children from developing the skills of hard work in relation to their health.

When to start?

Everyone knows what “hygienic gymnastics” is: it is a set of general strengthening exercises performed daily, often in the morning. It is commendable if your baby, upon waking up, runs to the crossbar (horizontal bar) or grabs the dumbbells. It’s great if he rushes to take a shower (preferably cool) after doing the exercises. The baby’s parents can rest assured: the right little person is growing up, whose today’s diligence will protect him in the future. Unfortunately, only a few mothers and fathers instill such traits in their children from early childhood. It is much more difficult to achieve change during adolescence. It is necessary to break existing stereotypes, convince and explain, change the study and leisure regime, and find time for classes. Isn’t it better to introduce a child to the concept of “physical culture” from an early age - so that he becomes friends with it! This friendship should become bright! Then the baby will rush to perform his favorite exercise with joy, without reminders, invariably enjoying the movement and the results achieved.

What is “good abs”?

Is it worth including abdominal exercises in the gymnastics complex performed by a child every day? YES, definitely! Because a toned, elastic tummy of your baby is the solution to a number of health problems or the prevention of their occurrence. “Good abs” is not only beautiful. The rectus abdominis, the six-pack that catches the eye of many at the beach or pool, and the external obliques play a vital role in strengthening the anterior abdominal wall, and not just in adults. If a 4-5 year old child has a large, loose tummy that the baby is not able to tighten, you should be wary of the following problems:

- intestinal atony and tendency to constipation
- umbilical hernia or hernia of the white line of the abdomen
- postural disorders with the possible development of scoliosis in the future, and so on...
These children are often overweight. And if you do not make efforts to change your lifestyle (balanced nutrition and a clear diet instead of psychologically complex diets, plus regular physical education, etc.), then a disturbed metabolism will become a constant companion for your child in adulthood. To all of the above, it should be added that weak abs, which smoothly migrated from childhood to adolescence, are early problems with the lumbar spine. In particular, sad encounters with a popular ailment of our time - herniated intervertebral discs.

Practical advice for beginners.

Let the activity be like a game or competition to begin with. Do all the exercises together with your child, without giving yourself any concessions - you must play “fairly”! Each exercise should be repeated 8-10-15 times. Gradually, slowly, increasing the number of repetitions to the maximum possible. Practice shows: after a month of regular exercise, children’s abdominal muscles gain so much strength that 15 repetitions become not enough for them, and they are ready to “pump up their abs” 3-4 times more. This is of no use anymore, because... The daily gymnastics complex consists not only of abdominal exercises. A well-constructed lesson should harmoniously develop the child’s body as a whole. So, let's learn how to do just a few exercises.

1) "Rolling - balance" (rolling the ball while maintaining balance)

To perform this exercise, you will need a small exercise ball (26 cm in size). Starting position: straightened legs, both hips with the front surface lying on the ball (maintain balance!), emphasis on straightened arms - palms on the floor. We roll the ball forward - pulling the knees to the chest (bending the legs at the knees, the shins rest on the ball). Keep your back straight, without excessive arching in the lumbar region. Exhale when pulling your knees (i.e. at the moment of maximum effort). We repeat the exercise 8-10 times.

It should be added that any exercises on gymnastic balls perfectly develop coordination of movements due to the need to maintain balance, and this is important for improving posture.

2) “Press & Extension” (an exercise to strengthen the press, accompanied by unloading of the intervertebral structures)

The exercise is performed on a horizontal bar, or on a wall bar. Starting position: hanging on the bar. Raise your knees to your chest while exhaling. We repeat the exercise 8-10-15 times. For many overweight children, the following problem arises - the grip is weak, and they can hold their own weight hanging on the bar for a very short time. Don't despair! You just need to be patient and gradually achieve the desired result. When performing this exercise, intervertebral structures (discs) are perfectly relieved of compression, which is important for overweight children, and posture improves.

3) "Press & Board" (incline board exercise)

This exercise strengthens the lower abs.
Starting position - lying on your back (the angle of the board can be changed).
Hands behind the head (the child should be held comfortably).
Raise your legs while exhaling, bending your knees is acceptable. Then slowly lower your legs and straighten them. Repeat up to 10 times. An incline board can also be used to strengthen your upper abs.
The starting position is the same - lying on the back, but the child is fixed with his legs, not his hands. In this case, you need to secure the baby at first: with the back of the foot he will fasten, for example, to the crossbar of the wall bars, and you duplicate this free fastening with your hands. The body is lifted while exhaling. Hands are usually clasped behind the head, or in front of you (for beginners). The peculiarity of performing the exercise is the following - you need to make sure that the child does not pull himself by the head or cervical region, as if “facilitating” the lifting of the body. Repeat - up to 10 times.

Let's play together!

To prevent your child from getting bored from the monotony, try playing with him, identifying the same important goal - strengthening the abdominal muscles. The participants in the game can be a father, a mother, a child, an older brother or sister, even a grandfather or grandmother... To play, you will need a light, medium-sized gymnastic ball. Several people lie down on the floor "sunwise", with their feet towards the center of the improvised sun. The knees are bent and slightly apart. The players touch the sides of their feet. The task is to raise your torso and catch with your palms a ball thrown by one of the players. Then lie on your back and put the ball into play again. The one who made a mistake is eliminated. It will be interesting for a child to compete with adults, for whom the problem of strong abs is no less relevant, and even more so to feel like a winner! In addition, playful moments make the tasks assigned to your child more achievable and joyful, relieve you from the need to persuade and convince, and protect you from periods of psychological fatigue that usually occur during regular activities.

Primum non nocere! First of all, do no harm!

If you are not sure that you can properly work with your child at home, or your baby has already developed some health problems, contact a specialist (physical therapy, kinesiotherapy). But remember that a program of health activities for a child should be drawn up only after an examination by a pediatrician who knows the peculiarities of age-related physiology and has sufficient experience in working with pediatric pathologies. Classes with children should be conducted by an experienced instructor who will monitor the correct execution of exercises, guide breathing, and familiarize them with safety precautions when working in the gym (this applies to children over 12-14 years old) or when practicing with any gymnastic equipment (dumbbells, balls, sticks, shock absorbers... etc.). The joy of movement will not come immediately - Omne initium difficile est (Every beginning is difficult)! At first, the child’s body will require a lot of work - during this difficult period, come to his aid, support him, praise him for his success, and play together! And a feeling of pleasure will definitely come - the baby’s eyes will light up when he tells you: “I could do it! I am strong!” And this will be your common victory in the name of health!

Victoria Vorobyova, pediatrician,
physical rehabilitation specialist
Stepanova Irina, teacher,
physical rehabilitation instructor.

Material provided by the Vorontsovsky Health House - Rehabilitation Laboratory www.prihodite.ru
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